Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in BookClub.

As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow
As long as the Lemon trees grow is a powerful book to inform people about the events happening in Syria. It is a story about love for one’s country. The story revolves around a young girl “Salama” who was studying to be a pharmacist before the revolution took place. But now, she is volunteering as a doctor in the nearby and the only hospital in Homs. She has no one in her family left except for her sister-in-law Layla, and Khwaf who happens to be the imagination of her creation. She is engulfed with fear daily, imagining the worst-case scenario thanks to Khwaf. Her father and brother Hamza were taken away by the government for participating in the revolution. Being taken by the government meant only two things: either they were tortured every day until the day they died, or they had already been killed. The family wished for the latter. Before being taken away by the government, Hamza made Salama promise to keep their mom, herself, and Layla, his wife safe. She lost her mother during one of the bombings which turned their home into rubble. And now she is desperate to find a way out of her beloved country before her best friend and sister-in-law, Layla, gives birth. Salama learns about Am helping Syrians who want to leave the Revolutionary War. Her sister-in-law Layla talks to Salama about leaving behind Syria. Salama hesitates because she is only one of two doctors Homs has. She is torn between loyalty to her country and her will to survive. However, the bombing near her house scares her for the safety of Layla and her unborn child. She wants to find a way to get out of Syria before Layla gives birth. She is reminded of the promise she made to her brother on the day he was taken away. She meets Am to talk about leaving Syria. He asks for a ridiculous amount of money for two people. Salama is angry at Am for using people's sufferings to make money but she must contend with him as it was the only way she and Layla might finally breathe free. The guy comes rushing to the hospital with her daughter who has been one of the victims of the recent bombing. As her desperation to save Layla grows, then and there Khwaf tells her to use this situation to her advantage. She sets a deal with Am that she will treat his daughter if he decides to lower the boat price for her. He couldn’t believe what she had proposed and looked at her with disbelief. Salama then reminds him that he is doing the same thing or even worse as he is using people’s desperation to be alive to make money by charging immoderate amounts of money to get them out of the country. He agrees but continues to remind her how evil of a person she is for using such a situation to her advantage. Through the events, she ends up meeting Kenan whom she was supposed to meet for marriage before the revolution began. She is drawn by the familiarity of Kenan, but she can't remember where she had seen him before or if he was another one of her imaginations. Khwaf makes her doubt her every decision, every choice, and everything she doesn’t want to worry about. She worries about Kenan and his two little siblings and the trauma they hold because of the revolutions. Kenan's little brother had stopped talking since the day their parents were killed during one of the bombings. She learns about Kenan’s love for Studio Ghibli movies and his wish to become an animator in the future. He makes her happy, and seeing him she starts imagining what would have happened had they met in a different circumstance where she would be able to tell him about all the plants and their medicinal values and talk about her hectic days at the hospital. She starts building this beautiful world with him in her imagination. Later she finds out he was supposed to be at her house to meet her. His mom had met Salama during her brother’s Walima and liked her for her son Kenan. Their mom had set up a meeting arrangement where Kenan and Salama could meet each other. She had seen Kenan’s picture and had liked it. Layla had even made fun of her and she remembers being all shy while looking at Kenan's picture. But before they could ever meet the revolution started, they were torn apart from their families not knowing whether they were dead or alive. Kenan was shooting the revolution videos and uploading them on YouTube. Salama fears for his safety because supporting the revolution in any way meant going against the government and the only outcome for that was torture or death. Khwaf tries to plant the seed of doubt in Salama’s heart against Kenan. But since they were around the same age and going through similar trauma, she decided to trust him. Later Kenan tells her that they were supposed to meet and supposedly could have been married.
By Winry3 years ago in BookClub
A Little More Into It
This was my very first read and is my favorite book yet! It changed me drastically by having an open heart and a appeal for Travis and people. I started to have a greater insight for others. It was exactly 405 pages long, and I just loved how I vowed to read it!!! Basically I came (home) from a typical good workday and started to read it from 8:30 @ night - to 6AM in the morning!! It was completed as my first read. I was so proud of myself! I loved these parts about the book:
By Rachael Frazier3 years ago in BookClub
A sense of Purpose.
What is a book that changed me? That has to be a tough question to answer because I have so many books that have inspired me and changed me. If I had to choose just one, Harry Potter would be that book.
By Jen Phillips3 years ago in BookClub
"I Feel Infinite"
When I think about a book that changed me, I think of several different books. But one that stands out is The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Maybe it's cliché to say this book changed me; when I tell people it's one of my top 5 favorite books, they usually roll their eyes at me. But this book brings me comfort. Every time I read it, I learn something new, realize something new.
By Samantha J.3 years ago in BookClub
One Story to Rule Them All...
When I was a young boy, my only means of escape from the horrors and sheer boredom of the real world were books. I would read just about everything I could get my hands on, starting with The Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy at 5, moving on to Dune at around 7 or 8. I was 10 when I stole my older brother's copy of Lord of the Rings, a tattered, dog-eared tome containing the entirety of the trilogy in the one volume.
By Dave Rowlands3 years ago in BookClub
Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami
Haruki Murakami’s Killing Commendatore is a masterful and enchanting novel that transports readers into a world of wonder and introspection.
By Margaret S.3 years ago in BookClub
Autobiography of a Yogi
This book has the power to completely evolve you, as a being both human and of divine origin. Autobiography found me in 2015, during - as Tyler Durden might say - "a very strange time in my life." (If interested, here's a bit of context.)
By ARC3 years ago in BookClub
The Game Changer
A book that changed me? Hmm... How far back can I remember, exactly? Every time I think of an influential novel in my history of being an avid reader, I remember an earlier one that I assume has had more of an impact, mostly because something, or quite rightly someone, that I had the good grace of being gifted as a child, sparked a beautifully endless stream of events that have carried me over the course of my life.
By Sian N. Clutton3 years ago in BookClub
“A journey Through life”
In a quaint village nestled between rolling hills and a sparkling river, there lived a young girl named Elara. From a young age, Elara possessed an insatiable curiosity about the world around her. She was captivated by the changing seasons, the whispers of the wind, and the mysteries of the stars above.
By Lawal simbiat 3 years ago in BookClub
Alas, Babylon
"Out of death, life; an immutable truth" ― Pat Frank, Alas, Babylon Sirens blared throughout the school, and Mrs. Dixon dropped her textbook. Unlike a fire drill, my eighth-grade teacher ordered us to sit under our desks. My heart raced with the question, Is this it? The nuclear attack? Are we about to all die? If we survive, would our skin fall off? How would we eat, drink, and breathe if everything is contaminated? How would communities divided by race amidst forced desegregation pull together, or would we die?
By J. S. Wade3 years ago in BookClub
How Anthony Robbins Awakened The Giant Within Me
I love to read books by others who have faced adversity and devised their own way of dealing with it; to learn how they found the courage to get through it; about the people who inspired them in their crisis times, and the advice they might give me that could suit my situation, too. For that reason, I owe my confident and positive state to Anthony Robbins, the American author, coach and speaker who is known primarily for his seminars, and self-help books, including Unlimited Power and Awaken the Giant Within.
By Elaine Sihera3 years ago in BookClub
The Book I'm Reading 📖 . Top Story - August 2023.
The Book 📚 I'm Reading 📖 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
By HandsomelouiiThePoet (Lonzo ward)3 years ago in BookClub